Offered: First Semester
Prerequisite: None for this course

Example of student work in the course is available here: http://osgglobalissues.wordpress.com/

“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and 
filled with opportunity.” Robert Kennedy

The Global Issues course is designed to provide students with a framework to better understand the world in which they reside and to help them develop a more global perspective. Some problems cross national boundaries to become global issues. Population growth and the movement of peoples, globalization, environmental challenges, and human rights are examples of issues that need to be addressed by all nations. Students will be challenged to put these issues into a broader context and to developed informed opinions about current policy decisions that will affect them in the future. Students will investigate how certain issues are addressed (or go unaddressed) by nation states, international organizations, and non governmental organizations. They will examine public policy debates and weigh the relative merits of different proposals. They will also be asked to reflect on how these issues affect them personally and to consider how they can make a difference as global citizens. Finally they will be asked to present an original proposal to address a pressing global issue within their school or community. The theme of this proposal will be thinking globally and acting locally.

This course will place a heavy emphasis on communication, technology, collaboration, and service to others. Students will concentrate on developing the skills, knowledge, and confidence to construct and deliver sound arguments, to take part in vigorous online discussions, and to hold formal debates. They will also make extensive use of technology to access and analyze information and to present their knowledge and understanding of the world to a broader audience within their school and community. Ultimately, this course seeks to prepare students to serve humanity in practical ways to solve complex global issues.